It’s a “Whole New Blue” down here, or at least that’s what you’re hit with when you walk around Dodger Stadium. The home clubhouse is said to be a vast improvement over the previous one, and the visiting clubhouse has a new weight room and batting cage, although manager Bruce Bochy said you can’t spend more than five minutes in there at a time because of the “new paint” smell. (Nice timing, huh?)

The scoreboards are new, too. I know this because there was a lengthy pre-game presentation that went through a four-part history of the Dodger Stadium scoreboards. Thrilling stuff, man.

Ownership is new but has a sense of the past, as we saw when Magic Johnson handed the first-pitch ball off to Sandy Koufax. The Dodgers even brought Blue Man Group in for a pre-game show, although Tobias Funke was nowhere to be found. It’s a “Whole New Blue,” they tell you. But all the Giants cared about Monday was the same old Dodgers ace who keeps shutting them down.

Clayton Kershaw was brilliant on a day when Matt Cain was excellent, showing that for all the talk about Greinke and Ramirez and A-Gon and more, this is still his team and the Giants still have to go through him when they come down here. They couldn’t do it Monday, but they’re not backing down, either.

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“You look forward to the challenge,” Buster Posey said.
Posey’s Giants are the defending champions and the Dodgers are champions of the headlines — and the two clubs look poised for an epic back-and-forth that still has 18 meetings left.

“We know they made some big moves,” Cain said. “We’ve been looking at those guys as well.”

On Day 1, Cain and the Giants could do nothing but tip their caps to Kershaw, who became the first starter in 25 years to hit a homer on opening day.

“He did it all today,” Bochy said. “You give him credit.”

That’s really all they could do Monday. Tip the cap, go have some dinner, come back tomorrow.

— Cain said he felt some jitters early, but he settled in and retired 13 of 15 at one point. When Hunter Pence misplayed a ball to right, Cain came back with strikeouts of Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier. So on Day 1, at the very least, the Giants found out that Cain is still Cain, even after the longest season of his career.

“He did his job,” Bochy said. “He settled down and pitched great.”

Bochy didn’t second-guess the decision to pull Cain after 93 pitches. “It’s a long season and you always look at the big picture,” he said.

Cain took a no-decision, but he also took away some special memories. This was his first opening day start, and if he pitches like this, it won’t be his last.

“It’s something that’s definitely great to have,” he said. “You always kind of wonder what it feels like. It was great to experience.”

— Kershaw on his first career homer and second career extra-base hit: “I never knew what that felt like. That felt pretty good, though. I had no idea what was going on. I was just trying to get to home plate. I can’t believe that ball went out.”

George Kontos said it was a two-seamer that stayed up and flat. “He’s a big, strong guy,” Kontos said. “This is the big leagues. Guys are going to do that to you. I felt good. I felt like the stuff was crisp.”

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It was a rough first opening day for Kontos, but he’ll be counted on this year, so it’s a good sign that he washed it off in about 20 minutes.

“It was a very exciting day,” he said. “It was an experience — before my outing — I won’t ever forget. I’m very happy to have been a part of it. I just wish the results were a little better.”

Bochy didn’t sound like he had lost any confidence in Kontos.

“George had been throwing the ball very well and he just laid it in there and (Kershaw) took advantage of it,” Bochy said. “I had a guy out there throwing well.”

— The Giants had four hits today: Two by Angel Pagan and two by Pablo Sandoval. For all the talk about Sandoval’s weight and his sore elbow, it’s a sign of just how freakishly talented he is that he can step in there after getting two at-bats in the previous two weeks and pick up a pair of knocks against the league’s best left-hander.

“That’s pretty impressive,” Bochy said.

Sandoval said his elbow felt fine, although he did have some trouble with throws to first. “I have to get my rhythm going again on throws,” he said. “But (the elbow is) not bothering me at all.”

Sandoval hit a pair of fastballs and credited winter ball and the WBC for having him ready for the season. “On baseball stuff, I was ready,” he said. “I just want to concentrate on getting healthy.”

The only pain he feels is when he swings left-handed, but he said he won’t be pulled out of tomorrow’s game if the Dodgers bring in a right-handed reliever.

— Marco Scutaro was 0 for 4, snapping a 20-game hitting streak that he carried into the season.

— Credit where credit is due: There was some quality use of Snoop Dogg in the Dodgers intro video. Also, the crowd was here early and about 99 percent blue, a far cry from anything we saw (in any city, really) last year. But we’ll see how it looks tomorrow night …

Posey sucks now he has his big money,.
Put someone in there that needs to worry about his next paycheck.
Hecktor needs to be in everyday!!!

why not the Giants benched players making more

Giant PITA

Thank goodness there’s still 161 to go!

channelclemente

Play Ball! It’s one heck of a long season.

Atlas

161 to go but no more Opening Day 2013 Cain vs. Kershaw, Giants vs. the all new and improved Dodgers in their house though. Oh well. Bums can have the first game, but the Gs still have a chance to win the first series.

ClutchUp

Alex, CC and all:

The Opener in Pittsburg was awesome HAD to be a bench prank by one of Hurdles guyz?

That was hilarious, kind of like a Scrap Iron Phil Garner “hot foot”.

SurfCity

Thanks for the GIF of Posey making throw for the out at third. Pablo got a little roll action there but got it done.

Wow Kershaw did it all – what can you say. The pitching and then he goes all Madison Bumgarner on the Giants.

Go get ‘em tomorrow!

Lefty

I read that Belt was up all night with food poisoning and had to get IV fluids in order to play. So maybe the commenters ready to dogpile on him again can give him a pass? Against the best lefty in baseball, too?

I love how people selectively criticize “the Brandons” and ignore that Scutaro, Posey, Pence, and Torres also went 0-fer. Even Pagan’s two hits were of the infield variety. Pablo was the only one who got a real hit.

SurfCity

Ugh, that sounds awful, Lefty. Between the paint fumes in the weight room and the bad food the Giants are up against it!

jerseygiant

Cannot be too upset because of Kershaw, but, still upset because its the Dodgers.
Just glad baseball is back and happy at least the Yankees lost.

stickman

After Kershaw’s day things should only get better for the batters. Opie is easily amongst the five toughest starters in the league, likely top two. On occasion Greinke will approach the levels of Bumgarner and Vogelsong. After him it’s usually a bit downhill.

As he demonstrated in his Perfecto last season Cain sometimes transcends excellence into total superiority. Kershaw could achieve the same pinnacle as soon as this season. Sure glad that didn’t happen today. The two first couple “P”‘s in the pod saw to that today. More from Pablo and Pagan soon. If they can get on it with Kershaw they’re ready for anyone.

pacman68

Not to bash Bochy but he seriously needs to figure out how to beat Kershaw. Giants need to play smarter and not station to station. Be aggressive.

Let’s hope tomorrow is better.

Foothills Ryan

It’s not like the Giants haven’t beaten Kershaw before.

But man does he look complete. A 25 win candidate. Possibly the best in all of baseball.

He stays healthy and that could go a long ways towards those guys winning the West.

And I can’t believe he hit only his second career extra base hit. That’s ridiculous because obviously he can swing a bat.

Other than homage to Kershaw’s greatness, just don’t get swept. Split the next two or win em both.

ClutchUp

pacman68 says: April 1st, 2013 at 8:25 pm 12..Not to bash Bochy but he seriously needs to figure out how to beat Kershaw. Giants need to play smarter and not station to station. Be aggressive. Let’s hope tomorrow is better.

Lowercase pacman68: Killer would be proud that you had Steaks, Scotch and Giant baseball for lunch but maybe not for the above post. I hear your intent but its not like football where a FB team can scheme for certain coverages based on the defensive or offensive formations shown at the line of scrimmage. The Manager effects the outcome of a Kershaw-Cain tilt less than any other type game. Roll the ball out there.

I saw Mays McCovey Hart Davenport Alou look menacing when they faced Dandy Don Drysdale or Sandy32 and sometimes its like playing the ponies at the former Bay Meadows. Do all your handicapping and such but then — like CC said — when a team wins one game or loses one game they dont get charged or take credit for 3.5 points like the friggin’ hockey game that I’ll never understand 8)

MLBSF

George Kontos said it was a two-seamer that stayed up and flat. “He’s a big, strong guy,” Kontos said. “This is the big leagues. Guys are going to do that to you. I felt good. I felt like the stuff was crisp.”

=========

Kontos has obviously been studying Lincecum and Zito’s prepared statements after they get shelled too.

Lincecum and Zito can give up nine runs on 12 hits in three innings and tell reporters with a straight face that they thought their stuff was good and that they were happy with their performance.

Kontos comes in and gives up a pitcher’s first MLB home run to ruin Cain’s masterpiece and says he felt like his “stuff was crisp.”

Yea keep telling yourself that George. smh

BDub

To any hitter and any pitcher, any hit for and against of any kind is a real hit. It’s hard enough to play this game let alone segmenting hits into real and, I guess, unreal ones. Jeez.

ClutchUp

Surf: it wasn’t you but somebody on the earlier blog said that Pablo got there late.

I beg to differ with some who think that. 48 was set up on the high side and Buster or any good catcher will throw TO the bag. Pablo pretty much has that manuever down imo.

408svl

mark my word. kershaw is now a markman by the GIANTS.

PoloGroundz

pacman et al: the giants beat kershaw 3 out of 5 starts last year. so i guess bochy already knows how to beat him…

South City Jim

A’s couldn’t score a run either. Funny how the offenses cool off once ST is over, especially against studs like Kershaw and Hernandez.

ClutchUp

Watched Kershaws HR swing on replay. Safe to say that kid “swung it” in College and HS ball.

SMH? Doubtful!

ClutchUp

John Jaso breaks up Felix’s PG oppo tonight after Felix gives Jaso a Rolex for catching his PG last yr.

Classic baseball story…

Sam

Seemed liked Bochy took a nap in the 8th inning. Wotus had to wake him up, then he started making pitching changes like its an elimination game in the playoffs.

I’ve been saying this for months, but this Torres signing will be a disaster.

2013

Pacman just got pwned.

Totally agree with MLBSF, if Kontos’ pitch was the best he could do. The result of giving up the first HR to a guy who’s had only one other Extra Base hit means your stuff aint good enough for the Bigs. Did not like his response at all. His “crisp” stuff is gonna get hammered all over the place like last year. I thought he was terrible on inherited runners.

Die Hard Giants Fan

Big deal. LA won. So what. Now we end the season at 161-1 with another WS title. How many times did we lose last year? Chill out peeps.

Bochy’s platoony tune adventures

hello boys! IIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMMMM BAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!!!!

SURPRISED Bork didn’t go all platooney today. Oh wait, that’s Game #3, where Sanchez starts, Buster is at 1B and Belt sits on the bench to think about what he’s done.

Yes, I am complaining about something that hasn’t happened yet. I’m a Giants fan what do you expect

ForeverBlue

Haha Giants suck running scared now you useless punks. Where is your all star first baseman. Wait till he strikeouts tonight again so that Bochy can bench that useless awkward giraffe. And what about Torres lol a washed up psycho has he been taking his meds lately. See u tonight folks after Kemp owns Bumgarner.

Henry Chinaski

Foreverblue – Need to get a life much?

Foothills Ryan

Great pitching all around baseball yesterday.

So are pitchers supposed to be ahead of hitters at this time or vice versa? I forget.

Justin Upton certainly hit a bomb yesterday. Do you think the Braves will score some runs with their sluggers row? The other side of that trade, Martin Prado, helped his new teams cause with 2 hits. The two guys that replaced the injured Ross and Eaton, Parra and Pollock, each had 3 hits. Kennedy looked really good. Yep, the Braves and Diamondbacks could be very tough.

Well, let’s see how this Ryu guy looks. If his stuff looks filthy and he snuffs the Giants like Kershaw did yesterday…

…I’m putting the Dodgers ahead in the early, early season power rankings.

As for Sandoval’s figure, I’ve got one emoticon to express… Other teams should be dropping bunts on him all season long. This is going to be a problem.

dgg

Before this yesterday’s legendary game by Kershaw, here’s how the Giants in the line-up (and one on the bench) had fared against him:

Doesn’t matter, just one game out of 162 but I thought a pivital moment was in the first inning with a runner in scoring position when Kershaw managed to freeze Buster with what looked like a hit me back door breaking ball. If they would have been able to break through early the game might have gone differently.

Get the bats going tonig Boys.

3Kings

The golden state dodger basketball team is going to make the playoffs

And the dodger baseball team is 100 million better then the giants

Hope we cam grab a wild card cause we dont have dosger talent, NOT EVEN CLOSE

GO Giants

kyle Perizi

Based on his performance yesterday and what Magic said yesterday regarding Kershaw’s next contract, he’s going to hit the 200 million mark when he redoes his next contract ( he may even exceed it ). He and his wife do lots of charity work, like financing an orphanage in Zambia and he’s won the Roberto Clemente award

Bdub: I didn’t mean to denigrate Angel’s two hits. After all, part of the reason we pay him is indeed to get infield hits among others. I was just making the point that no one other than Pablo was really hitting the ball hard against Kershaw so lay off Belt and Crawford–who were, after all, the only two lefties in the lineup against an outstanding lefty.

We already have a comment that Belt and Crawford are on a pace to strike out 325 times (I guess that’s about two per game) and that Belt should be benched so Pablo can play first.

It’s all very silly and I had hoped we were past that by now, but I guess haterz gotta hate.

Leonard Bonilla

The Torres deal was a bad one, he is done and the Giants need to find a slugging right hander for left field. This will be a weakness for them all season if they don’t. Torres is an automatic out. He had his career season in 2010. Blanco isn’t going to hit worth crap either.

THe great Sabean had better get going!

I’m not going to jump on Belt and Pence just yet but they had better start hitting sooner then later. Kershaw was un-hitable yesterday so all the 0 for 4 stats are not shocking.

MVW

Arrested Development reference – awesome Alex, haha

wine baroness

I’m with Leonard Bonilla—- we need a Left fielder.

Been saying this since the Melkman got the PED boot.

But I’m not down on Torres or Blanco. They make for great late inning
replacements. They have speed and are terrific defenders. But no way should either sniff the starting LF job.

We need someone who can hit…and if they suck in the field, then they can replaced in the late innings ala Pat the Bat.

I fear that nothing will change until the trade deadline.

giantsfan2

Have a beer and chill people! one game. Kontos is fine, Don’t judge Torres after 1 game. Bochy and Sabean know what they are doing. How many wanted them fired the last 3 years? yea, 2 out of 3 world championship years. Dodgers haven’t won in 25 years! Try being a Giants fan in the 70′s and early 80′s when they sucked and had the worse stadium in baseball. Life is good as a giants fan and it will never get better than now. So enjoy and save your griping for a yankeee or dodger blog site.

If yesterday’s Giant’s game didn’t look so good, be glad you’re not a Rockies fan. Are they still going with the 4 man rotation?

The Padres also look like a team that’s going to lose a lot of games. Headley on the DL and Cody Ransom at 3B Four relievers yesterday and don’t think I recognize any of them.

Don’t worry, be happy.

LittleMike

fOrEveRBlUe
Your comments are bold after one win. Granted, your ace pitched a fine game. One game does not make a season.
Looking forward to your presence in September where you can exhibit additional moronic gestures.
Until then, have a nice summer.

Gamertude

It’s one game and Kershaw is a great pitcher. But I’m tired of the Giants just giving him the respect of a god and bowing out with a faint whimper EVERY single time they face him. He has a 1.27 ERA against the Giants and over a run more against everybody else. He’s another human being and another pitcher, not saying go crush him every time, but stop going up there in awe against him every time, stop giving him so much respect and dare to actually score runs against him in the future. If the Giants can do to Verlander what they did, they can do similar things to Kershaw once in a damn while. Oh and don’t ever use Kontos again in the 8th inning of a tie game. Ever.

BDub

RE: Pitching Kontos in the 8th…maybe some managers arent in mid season form yet either

wswin

Alex,

Dodgers’ Kershaw beats Giants and Matt Cain. That is very wrong. Cain did not get the loss. He was long gone. Matt should not be included in that headline. You’re way out of line.

ClutchUp

E

ClutchUp

Wswin: where IS that headline? Not @ the top of this page.

In the Merc? If so writers don’t do their own headlines?

JStreet

I can’t think of anything original except to: a) appreciate that CU has installed a panic button. Much needed by some, so use at will (not Clark, you idiot). b) object to the nitpicking (eg.: taking issue with Lefty’s use of the term “real hits”). C’mon folks, one game? c) acknowledge FR’s perspective on the game. How ’bout that? There are other teams and other players in this business?

The most annoying comment not from a troll (I think): a preemptive complaint that the manager would bench a player in a game that doesn’t take place until Wedneseday.. Petulant much? What is it about Giants baseball that brings you here?

Here’s a great summary that could be a gentle encouragement for the season to come. It bears repeating. And it puts things in perspective: (from Giants Fan 2 at 7:55 today)

Have a beer and chill people! one game. Kontos is fine, Don’t judge Torres after 1 game. Bochy and Sabean know what they are doing. How many wanted them fired the last 3 years? yea, 2 out of 3 world championship years. Dodgers haven’t won in 25 years! Try being a Giants fan in the 70′s and early 80′s when they sucked and had the worse stadium in baseball. Life is good as a giants fan and it will never get better than now. So enjoy and save your griping for a yankeee or dodger blog site.

Keep’n It Real

* I too saw a headline or two (not necessarily on Merc) that said Kershaw beat Cain. Heck…if it wasn’t for pitch count…Cain’s stats looked to be even better than Kershaw’s.

* One game people…chill out. This was the Dodgers in their home stadium…on opening day. Anyone that knows this game knows some teams are infinitely less effective away from home, so we have no idea if the Dodgers will play this level of a game at AT&T. Heck…they may not be the same team when their other guys start.

* Giants beat Kershaw twice last year, so he’s not some invincible guy that can’t be beat. Heck…without his homer (Kontos, really?)…they might have beat him yesterday.

* BTW…have you seen the Giants recent Opening Day record? It’s bad; yet they seem to have won 2 World Series. As “Frankie Goes to Hollywood” once said…RELAX.

kyle Perizi

The Gs lose their first game of the season with 161 games left to play and a lot of guys are acting hysterical ( it’s comical ) , Alex and Carl must be wondering, who are these people? and how dare they post on my blog! Please get it together because it’s embarrassing. Show some respect for the defending WS Champs as well as yourselves, dios mio! and I’ll throw in a sheesh as well.

” Snot rockets inflight, Tuesday night delight ”

Go get em Madison!

JStreet

Gamertude at 8:29. The Giants beat Kershaw 3 times last year. You claim your are “tired of them bowing out with a faint whimper EVERY(sic) single time they face him.” That’s just inaccurate, and you can look it up. Or push CU’s panic button.

Both of these teams seem to rise to the occasion when they meet, and when the premier pitchers are involved. Do you remember some of the epic battles between Bill Laskey and Fernando Valenzuela? To me, these matchups provide the best best baseball you can get. It’s no shame to respect an opponent who has prevailed.

kyle Perizi

CC Sabathia looks like he’s lost 20 pounds, good for you CC.

http://nada paul in p.v.

Opie don’t scare Snorkel (testing new avatar). ;o)

http://nada paul in p.v.

He’s chillin’.

http://nada paul in p.v.

Plenty of games left.

http://nada paul in p.v.

Next time: take 2 and go to right…

ClutchUp

WoW…was that Eric Byrnes on KNBR postgame yesterday. Almost sounded like he was without Red Bull. 8)

I also have to admit that his picking the Dodgers isn’t sitting too well with me, either. You can’t come on KNBR air and act like you’re a Giants fan…and then go all MLB TV and choose the Dodgers; especially when you are intimately aware of what the Giants have over the Dodgers as a t-e-a-m.

Personally, I would rather listen to the razor, if I had to choose…so that’s how low on the totem pole “Byrnesy” is in my book.

I’m surprised Bochy seemed to make a bully usage mistake last night. Bringing Kontos out for the 8th was curious. Last year George was mostly a 1 and done. I don’t know if Opening Day was the best time to “stretch him out”. Kontos looked good in the 7th.

Casilla got lit up like a Xmas tree anyway, but I thought for sure he was getting the 8th…

Might not have changed a thing. Its game one, long way to go. I am not worried about places or standings until June 1 as long as the club is at .500 by then. Let us not forget wew ere 11 games under last April, and the Dodgers had like an 8 game lead at Memorial Day, and we know how last year ended.

~YMMV.

Nate’sFanMom

Yes, Pablo is freakishly talented, but his cavalier approach to his weight is unprofessional.

I’ve always loved Sandoval, but I worry that he’ll eat his way out of SF Giants baseball.

Nontechnical

The snot rockets have toned down quite a bit, maybe someone had a word with him.

Go Giants! We’re all with you!

Woj

“I just wish the results were a little better.” – Kontos

Hey George, the results are going to need to be a LOT better not a little better. Give up multiple runs late in a tie game again soon and Gaudin will be taking your place soon.

Our Team

The Dodgers win Game 1 and they’re already dumping Gatorade on people after the game? Really? Is this college or the pros?

Sam

People aren’t basing their opinion of Torres soley on one game. The guy is a career .240 hitter. His last 2 seasons he hit .221 and .230. There is a reason management ran his ass out of town after the 2011 season. He is in age 35 season. I will be surprised if he hit above .250 even in a platoon situation. All of his power comes from the left side.

Woj

@Leonard Bonilla
Amen on getting a power bat in LF. That platoon of Blanco & Torres looks liek a LH backup and the RH bankup neither of which is capable of hitting for power. Blanco is a capable backup and I’m not sure what Torres is goign to give SF. Where is the power hitting left fielder? This should be Sabean’s top priority. Wish Melky was back on this team but Baer torched that bridge when he decided not to bring back Melkman for playoffs.

Mo P

Just one game. But let’s take away that Kershaw was dominating. Let’s forget that the bullpen didn’t really do much yesterday and not just Kontos. It wasn’t like Casilla did his job and even Affeldt wasn’t sharp.

But the team was also kicking the ball around, wild pitches, pop fly doubles… a ground that went off belt which extended innings for Cain.

I don’t have a problem with losing. I don’t have a problem by being dominated by Kershaw, and I don’t mind not scoring a single run.

I do mind that the giant most criticized was the only one to show up (Pablo), I do mind that media and players say the team is ready to play when it was clear they weren’t sharp in all aspects.

They took is easy in Spring, much easier than last year, and frankly it could be b/c of the long season last year, and by plan. Or they could be a little hungover. We shall see tonight. I expect Ryu to pitch well, but I want to see the giants play well, defensively, the little things.

Nontechnical

@NatesFanMom – Isn’t Panda amazing? His talent and charisma are almost Ruth-like. His happy-go-lucky attitude and the unearthly ability to hit weird pitches is always thrilling.

But his “I’ll address the weight in 2 years” was scary. One doesn’t expect that of a pro athlete, it means almost certain injury. He could be a legend if he could control the eating.

hari

Boschy and Righetti have a new tendency to start with the youngest in the Pen…and make him follow up, if possible. The idea is to safe the older arms for the series, I guess.

It backfired on Boschy!

Konto should have been allowed to pitch just one inning – followed by Affeldt-Cassila- rest.The guy has never been in such a opening day situation before…..

No! Boschy decided just for (fun) or whatnot to order Konto to go back and start 8th – what a disaster! Affeldt was ready for 8th…

Adrenaline was gushing when he came in – first time in 7th – 8th was a let down for him… but a lesson for Boschy/Righetti.

Don’t push the Pen to more than a inning/person/pitcher at a time.

For God’s Sake!

Anti-Lasorda

It’s good someone brought up Ruth….

He was fat, he could rake and pitch.

The ‘lb’s didn’t seem to bother him.

I wonder how many of us overweight bloggers should just lay off his butt. I’m with the beats, all the writers have agreed to laissez faire the pleasantly plump Panda about the Battle of the Bulge until it affects his performance on the field or keeps him off it.

Right now. Played 1 of 1 games. 2 for 4 batting .500…..

Let the fat man rake.

Just don’t sign up after next season.

If either of the next two go south, you can expect him to be traded. The beats and the org have already started to come around that Posey’s long term destination is 3B a la Torre and we now KNOW that Busta is going to be around a long time. It subtle asking about taking grounder over there etc. That means Fat Panda and the Awkward Giraffe have a mano-y-mano going for at least the next 18 months over which one gets the caysh to man the 1 bag after 2014.

~YWMV

ClutchUp

WSWin: Thanks for the link. I usually read Giants Extra and then the SF Chron Hard Copy delivered to the drive way.

At least the link says – AND Matt Cain but like you said that is not accurate as Cain gave up zero runs and did not figure in the decision.

Like I said earlier, I don’t think the authors of the actual articles – add their own Headlines. It’s crazy and has produced many faux pas historically. “Headline” writers must have their own department within existing Papers, or their own Union

Matthew

For those going crazy regarding Kontos, a couple of points…

Bruce coaches for the long haul. He knows experiencing certain situations, even perhaps at the risk of a single game, is often worth it down the road. Case in point:2010 playoffs, Sergio Romo vs. Eric Hinske in game 3. romo had NOT shown that he could get out lefties, and BOOM. All of us felt the gut punch. A few minutes later, after Freddy, Huff, Buster, and poor Brooks Conrad, we had a win and headed on to the championship. NOW? Romo puts away lefties with great flair.

Yesterday… Kontos had one great inning. Sure, Bruce knew he had quite a few arms to pick from Affeldt was ready, and there were a few lefties coming up. but, what a perfect spot to let the kid experience this stress. Opening day, full house, tie score. BOOM. All of us felt a gut punch.

Let’s just hope a few months later, the lesson resonates with young Kontos… His stuff is fine. Settle down.

channelclemente

It’s a wonder some of these folks didn’t sell their kids first time they pooped their diaper.

channelclemente

Anti,

if you bothered to look at the L/R splits on Kontos, you might not be so puzzled. Geez, I’d expected more of you.

channelclemente

Their is a rumor out there that the Dodgers and Yankees are working on a deal for Cano.

soothsayer

remember folks, Bochy didn’t really amp up the bullpen usage til after the AS game…we stay healthy and we’ll be there in the end. (YES!!!)

pacman68

Left field is a mess and we all know it. Sabean will fix the problem by the All Star break. Just like he fixed the problem at second. The guy is a genius and will once again strike gold. I just hope we can stay afloat till then. Our division is a lot tougher then last year.

Stay strong Giant fans.

http://yahoo Battersbox

Wow! Everyone of you knuckleheads is panicking already? It’s one stinking game. Ready to bench Belt and Crawford, kill Bochy, write off Torres, Kontos, Posey as a catcher etc etc etc. It is one game. Remember our start last year in Az. Not pretty either! You play 162 for a reason, please stop with all the idiot comments and lets enjoy a little baseball for a few weeks before we lineup to jump off the bridge!

Something that’s been discussed in recent weeks that I find interesting is the Giants’ inability to develop young OF’ers. Thinking back to the period 1971 – 1975, the Giants developed George Foster, Garry Maddox, Gary Matthews, Jack Clark and Larry Herndon. Go back a few more years and you can add Bobby Bonds and Ken Henderson, etc. Really hard to come up with a blue chip prospect that amounted to much after the mid-70′s. Here’s hoping Gary Brown is the one!

SurfCity

CC, Cano just fired Boras as his agent.

SurfCity

oops, a refresh shows you beat me to that news, cc. Another link in the nytimes: he signed with a new firm headed by rapper/producer JayZ

yeah I saw that. The rumor I heard would suggest the Yankees are trying to offload Cano before they lose him to FA. Ordinarily I’d say it was BS, but LA is a little crazy and with Kershaw singing the managing partners praise last night on TV and them beating the Giants to their first full house since we last opened there, maybe the bank has been opened by the enthusiasm bandit. The Guggenheims are rich like Bill Gates is rich. Maybe they’re all in??

BallZach

One game in and I can see the comments are in mid-season panic mode already.

Death
Taxes
Single game samples extrapolating that the Giants will lose 162 this year and Belt will be 0 for 600.

Good to know I can count on a few things in life.

Anti-Lasorda

South City…

How about Charles Theodore Davis? He was home grown in the 80′s. I remember watching him play on some cold, some would even say Chilly evenings at Candlestick.

Anti-Lasorda

Channel,

Mea Culpa….

This wasn’t a splits decisions. As the Melonhead himself suggested who pitches to splits with the pitcher…..

I was thinking, kids 1st opening day, got out clean. Good to go. Someone brought up the adrenaline running out after the seventh when he got to grab some pine for 3 quick G’s ABs. I couold see it.

Hey, its a long season, Kontos needs to face adversity too so when the NLCS comes around back in that dump Bochy knows he can have George go two if he needs to. I get it… just didn’t think we’ld be starting the lesson on OD.

And the biggest concern for me was all the sloppy D…. Belt, Crawford weren’t sharp in the field. They’re going to take their lumps against Kershaw, no worries, but lets pick it clean out there for Cainer. Every time I wqasn’t paying attention it seems a Bum had reached base on a play the club made in October….. errors or not.

~YMMV

Woj

Thank you Giants for allowing me to buy the 2012 World Champion gold program jersey. I’ll wear it proudly. What a spectacular garmet.

channelclemente

Anti,

melonhead is preprogramed to instinctively know the splits. No, my point was, Kontos wasn’t just a decision, he was the best decision to pitch against Kershaw. He just overthrew a 2 seam, a kid mistake. I suspect I’m in part reacting to some of the goofy stuff said yesterday…sorry.

South City Jim

A-L, Yep Chili qualifies. Thanks!

I still root for Nate. He had a nice first game with the Cubs. Hopefully he can have a nice year.

First I want to emphasize that I am NOT panicking!! Remember I was one of the few who never gave up on them in last year’s postseason. And nobody realizes that a baseball season is a marathon … not a sprint. One game means NOTHING!!

That said, I really did not like Bochy keeping Kontos out there with a fully rested bullpen and Affeldt ready to go. But what really got me was the pitch selection on that HR to Kershaw! They know Kershaw is a big strong kid … a good athlete … why throw him a challenge fastball on the first pitch? That is the only pitch he could have jacked out to dead centro!! No, Kontos has a nasty slider … you throw that until you have to come in with a fastball if you get behind. I bet Posey knows it was a mistake in his pitch selection there. So if anybody learned something … it is Buster. Don’t throw a first pitch fastball late in a 0-0 game to the pitcher .. who might just run into one!!

Off my soapbox now… go get’em MadBum!!!

http://nada paul in p.v.

Clutch – it’s one of Snorkel’s oversized Jaguar cousins, stuffed into a cardboard box. Kitties just gotta have a box to squeeze into. Chillin’. ;o)

Gray Whale

Kontos’ stuff was te opposite of crisp. Actually, what is the opposite of crisp? Whatever it was, it was FLAT.

Great podcast today on Keith Law “Behind the Dish”: 15 min interview with Posey’s agent. They get into how special he is, of course, but one also gets the vibe that Baer and co were pretty damn determined to sign a long-term deal, no matter what. Which is awesome, but it got me thinking about investments, strategizing and protecting them. And most importantly, controlling them. Not so much controlling Buster’s contract, but in terms of what a known commodity he is, personality and leadership-wise. Great piece to build a baseball team AND a marketing strategy around. Doesn’t cause media distractions, makes media easier to control (unlike NY or Boston, the Giants seem to be really focussed on this, sorry Alex!). Other guys, not as much. The flipside is that I’m sure the “tech 2.0″ types and all the other members of the gentry siting in Mavo’s section just LOVE Buster, so that trend is here to stay.

Anyway, any other baseball podcast recommendations? K Law is great but it’s a quickie and sometimes can be a little esoteric (great when its the giants, but not when it’s 10 minutes on the Marlins rotation — gag me with a spoon!)

channelclemente

Graywhale,

not exactly Podcasts, but http://www.fangraphs.com/ has part of their content available via audio. It’s about halfway down on the webpage.

What a complete Joke the Fish have become and have an owner that is a complete TOOL. SFG fans bitch about CAL’s Baer but for some of last night/today’s fanatics already managing the nuances of yesterday’s loss — I now in hindsight wish ‘we’ had lost 12-0 so that the managerial blunders would not have been so strategic.

If anybody saw Bochy sans lid (and minus some hair) being interviewed, that is how a 2 time WS winning Manager response to any media asking about subtle items in the game. Bochy: “Nope, George was throwing well” “Yes, Kershaw pitched great and so did Matt(y)”

Please Note: it’s usually NEVER the pitch it’s the location

Imagine some of those here actually being related to one/any of the 25 guys and trying/allowing themselves to articulate “Hey, by the way, you guys weren’t ready to play, you were flat, you weren’t ready for the season to start the way ya’ll said you were … your teammate in LF sucks and so does Kontos … and 28 called a bad pitch to …Kershaw”.

Response: Crickets. For reasons I am sure that many of my favorites on here who dabbled playing the game or coaching/managing know – the 162+++ stiff upper lip – all for one – one for all is paramount. Nobody talks out of school save Miggy and ARow because the game on its own level is too hard to play and can never ever be mastered. Round ball, round bat, 7 freakishly outstanding players playing defense, one filthy + 94 mph Pitcher @ 60’6″ throwing filthy secondary pitches and the hitter having to react in 0.04 (prob wrong). One guy/catcher squatting down behind said hitter calling/duping hitter into not knowing what’s coming…

And … yesterday had Busters’ smash to third gone through, the early part of the game may have been different.

Enjoy the Game and Competition of Baseball. It’s a tapestry and mosaic of amazing things from all 18 players trying to do the same thing to each other. The sandlot game we played only being carried out by super gifted players….

Enjoy the competition more than the outcome. SF G’s need to get into the post season and even though I can’t explain it I don’t think every game in April is of equal value as it is from August on…

Channel…exactly, win the series and travel to SF for the opening homestand! Lots of baseball to be played. You play to be in position to make a run in Sept. One loss in April, just the first loss of the year. The world is not ending.

Go Giants

totalfan62

Quite a bit of over-reaction to one game, but we’ll all get over it. We know what we have: a defending WS Championship team that will be in contention all year, injuries notwithstanding.

That being said, I am very concerned about Pablo’s weight. He looks heavier than he’s ever been, and he cannot play consistent MLB 3B in this condition. More important to me than the obvious physical issues is the lack of mental strength and discipline. Sad, disappointing and alarming.

channelclemente

We, Like I suspect the Giants, need to temper our expectations, let the game come to us, play ball, and let Jobu take care of the rest.

channelclemente

Sandoval will hit, and play until he breaks down, and then a Noonan or some other mMLB will step into his shoes. He is what he is, and no amount of fan angst is going to fix it.

South City Jim

Clutch, nice video…thanks for sharing.

Anti-Lasorda

It’s okay south, Chili broke in ’81 and was gone after ’87… that over 20 years ago…

Now if you want to go through and figure out how many we initially signed OR drafted to truly signify how grown that list gets much smaller…..

And to think what have any of these accomplished? Only Bernard consistently started for more than 1 season and only because Dusty has a stubborn streak.

Pete Martinez

Clayton Kershaw is the Giants daddy.

South City Jim

Don’t forget we also had Jesus Guzman who’s had a habit of hitting dingers against us.

channelclemente

If the Dodgers sign Cano, Clayton Kershaw may be a future Yankee.

Sam

No way that the Dodgers let Kershaw get away. They will back up the Brinks truck for this guy, especially the way he dominates SF. They will give Kershaw 10 yr 250 mil.

Keep’n It Real

I want to take this opportunity to give the Giants Senior Director of Ticket Services (Devin Lutes) a big thumbs up!

Ordered tickets last November and never received them. The ticket “customer assistance” people said I had to call back 2 weeks prior to each game and they’ll re-print my tickets and leave at will-call.

This was obviously unacceptable to me, so I wrote an email to Devin and (calmly) explained why this was unfair. Within 15 minutes, I had a response and was told he’ll reprint the tickets immediately and send out the same day.

Good customer service like this shouldn’t be kept quiet!!!

channelclemente

‘No way”, hmm Pujols, Greinke, Hamilton, and others would say to be a little less sanguine about things, I would think. It’s unlikely, but that TV market dwarfs LA’s and that TV deal in LA for $7 billion is what drives this Guggenheim bank truck, plus the land values. So I agree, it’s probably a BS rumor, but so was Pujols going to LAA, for a while.

channelclemente

What Kershaw is, is a good reason to get Appel out of Stanford to bookend with Stratton sooner or later. I’d say that is almost a mission from Jobu. Call Jake and Elroy, and have them clear their calendar.

Sam

St. Louis was never going to get in a bidding war for Pujols. They don’t hand out deals longer than 5 or 6 years.

Who are the teams willing to shell out 200+ mil to Kershaw. Not the Yanks if they are serious about getting below 189 mil.

What I meant was Nobody will outbid the Dodgers for Kerahaw. If he leaves, it won’t be because he got a more lucrative offer elsewhere, but because he wanted to go elsewhere.

channelclemente

Sam,

in my humble experience, never say never. St. Louis did ‘bid’ for Pujols, they just couldn’t meet the final bid.

As to the Yankees, if Aroid is done, an insurance policy pays 70%+ of what’s outstanding on his contract, that’s by itself is Kershaw money and change if you negotiate into the out years. I’m sure not saying it’ll happen, but it’s possible. BTW, Yankees opening day was NOT a sellout for the first time in years. Cashman can count.

Sam

CC:

From what I understand even if A-ROD never plays again and the insurance company pays his salary, for luxury tax purposes his salary still counts for the 189 mil mark the Yanks are trying to get under.

channelclemente

Sam,

it’s more complex than that even, he make get zip on the remainder if there is a PED’s violation. The luxury tax issue is not an issue in a Selig World where NY audience participation drives the boat.

Sam

If AROD can’t play, the Yanks could just pay whatever they owe him and drop him from the 40 man roster. That way he no longer counts for luxury tax purposes, but that’s a lot of money to eat.

Sam

The contract would have to get voided by Selig. The Yanks can’t do it.

Section 7, paragraph M of the agreement states, “All authority to discipline Players for violations of the Program shall repose with the Commissioner’s Office. No Club may take any disciplinary or adverse action against a Player (including, but not limited to, a fine, suspension, or any adverse action pursuant to a Uniform Player’s Contract) because of a Player’s violation of the Program.”

“Baseball’s drug policy was specifically written so that teams can’t do things like this,” one of the sources said. “You can’t use this to try to get out of the last years of a contract.”

channelclemente

Sam,

they recover the money in that case via insurance too.

Sam

The program refers to the joint drug prevention and treatment program.

Sam

channelclemente says:
April 2nd, 2013 at 3:53 pm
The luxury tax issue is not an issue in a Selig World where NY audience participation drives the boat.

——-

The Yanks only gave out 1 yr deals this offseason except to Ichiro because of the luxury tax. It is most definitely an issue.

E-B

i’m late to the party; missed yesterday’s game, but hey, i think matty did a terrific job pitching out of traffic/trouble.

kershaw’s a beast, and he was at his best, so, tip the hat to the guy. he carried the team.

also, i happen to agree w/ those who questioned the pitch selection in a shutout game in the 8th, to a good hitting pitcher (btw, the IF’s were playing back too). buster, as is his prerogative, calls a country challenge fb. why why why? he’s got a penchant for that pitch, not always in the optimal situation. it’s a bit too much of his own personality/preferences into the game. he’s young and he’ll learn to focus more on what’s working for the pitcher that day, and which swing type is up at the plate, along w/ the game score at the time.

while i’m at it, i also didn’t understand why kontos was out there for a second inning against a lefty. why not mihares or other? yeah yeah, i know he pitched a perfect 7th, but why? well, too EZ to question after-the-fact. if it had worked, we’d all be saying bochy wz a genius, which i do believe he’s near that when it comes to handling a bp.

nuff said.

madison on the bump today. go get ‘em.

channelclemente

Sam,

let me choose my words more carefully. Yes it’s an issue, but not an unresolvable one, regardless of the players agreement. If Aroid, for instance, is involved in the Biogenesis affair substantially, the Fed is investigating that as a felony. They may even RICO it. So, Aroid may face jail time, serious jail time, or at least the threat of it.

Second if the integrity of the Yankee cash cow is threatened, Selig will find an accommodation that preserves the Yankee brand and income in that market place. I understand the Yankees resolve to quit supporting teams like the A’s, but that issue is trivial to the value to TV income and cash flow of the NYY franchise. All the current TV contract net income in MLB balances on him being able to deliver a viable NYY and Red Sox TV product the public will watch. IMO, that’s why the diagnostic observation of ~5000 empty seats on Yankee opening day is a come to jesus moment for him, and MLB.

So, maybe the strict interpretation of the contractual situation is a little amorphous, but with a government sanctioned monopoly, it may prove to be irrelevant. If you want evidence of Selig’s ability to play fast and loose with the rules, research how Selig got the Nationals out of Canada.

In any case, my humble opinion on an unlikely set of events.

Oil Can Boyd

Giants did get a win vs Kershaw last year on a Brett Pill HR. This points to a weakness in the lineup against the best lefties (Belt, crawford) and a light hitting switch hitter (Torres)all were overmatched. Gs dont need Torres, but a power hitting right handed bat- Gillespie, Pill or even Casper the friendly Ghost Wells- just released by the Mariners.

channelclemente

E-B,

just go look at the left handed splits on the pitcher options involved. It’s clear on that basis, IMO.

E-B

CC

ok, i gotcha.

i still would call a slider to that guy; don’t give him the pace of a country fb, esp when ya gots a slider pitcher on the mound.